A SECTION OF CABRA ROAD

16/12/2022

Cabra is an inner suburb on the north-side of Dublin city in Ireland. It is approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of the city centre, in the administrative area of Dublin City Council. It was commonly known as Cabragh until the early 20th century. Largely located between the Royal Canal and the Phoenix Park, it is primarily a residential suburb, with a range of institutions and some light industry. Cabra is served by bus, tram and mainline rail; it lies across Navan Road, one of the main roads from central Dublin to the orbital motorway.

Cabra is located southwest of the Royal Canal, except for one small piece of land between the canal and railway line, and northeast of the Phoenix Park, and runs southeast to northwest, from Phibsboro at St. Peter's Church and around the sixth Royal Canal lock, and Grangegorman at Hanlon's Corner, to Ashtown and Pelletstown; across the canal are the districts of first Glasnevin and then Finglas. The area is often divided into Cabra East and Cabra West, with a notional line of division being the railway line coming from the Phoenix Park Tunnel and going to Connolly Station.

The Bradogue River, a tributary of the Liffey, rises underground at the southern edge of the district.

The Luas Green Line, part of Dublin's tram system, has been extended to a terminus at Broombridge railway station, with another local Luas stop deep in the area, Cabra, and also nearby Phibsborough, Grangegorman and Broadstone-DIT – the last two serving the new TU Dublin (formerly Dublin Institute of Technology) campus at Grangegorman.

ABUNDANCE BY PAWEL JASINSKI

15/12/2022

ABUNDANCE BY PAWEL JASINSKI [IMALL ROAD - CABRA ROAD - ANNAMOE ROAD IN CABRA]

This is the third paint-a-box installation by Pawel Jasinskthat I have photographed to date. These wonderful flowers symbolise the mystical garden.

Pawel Jasinski, artist and designer, was born in Poland and currently works in Dublin. His paintings were exhibited in several European countries including Latvia, Ireland, Poland and England. Portrait of Paul Brady painted by Pawel has been printed on the side of a building ( The Icon Factory Gallery) in Temple Bar. His work "Woman on the Temple Bar" was chosen as the picture of the month December 2017 by the curator of The Hunt Museum in Limerick.

PRUSSIA STREET 8 DECEMBER 2022

15/12/2022

I am not sure if the Jameson Gate and the Prussia Street Gate are the same entity. However I do know that the Prussia Street Gate is an intended gateway onto the Grangegorman site on its western side to provide easier access from the Prussia Street and Stoneybatter areas. It will connect onto St. Brendan’s Way which will be one of the main thoroughfares through the DIT Campus.

It would appear that there were plans for at least three student accommodation complexes along both sides of Prussia Street but I have noticed little progress over the last twelve months. It should be mentioned that a number of  North inner city councillors have stated that they are opposed to plans for 162 build-to-rent apartments on Prussia Street, Stoneybatter, which involves a 13 storey tower.

In 2021 An Bord Pleanála has approved the demolition of the Park Shopping Centre  to provide for a major residential development including almost 600 student bed spaces as well as a new district shopping centre. Permission was granted to the owners of the shopping centre to develop two large apartment blocks up to eight storeys in height which will provide 578 student bed spaces and 29 build-to-rent apartments as well as a supermarket, two restaurants or cafes plus eleven retail units.

It was expected that there would be a new pedestrian and cycle path connecting Prussia Street with the Technical University Dublin campus at Grangegorman meaning that I could walk from my apartment to the Stoneybatter area in about ten minutes.

Prussia Street is named in the late 18th century after Frederick II, King of Prussia. Prior to this is had been called Cabaragh Lane. Manor Street derives its name from medieval Grangorman Manor. The name Stoneybatter, derived from 'Bothar na gloch' (road of stones) dates from at least 1603. The road follows an ancient route from Wicklow to Tara which crossed the Liffey at the ford of the hurdles.

The name Grangegorman is derived from the territory of the Ui Vairrche, whose main families were the Ui Treasaigh and the Ui MacGorman, displaced following the Norman invasion in the 12th century (Tracy 2011). The ‘Grange’ refers to the grange, or homefarm of Holy Trinity (Christ Church) at Grangegorman Manor.

Note: Randelswood have applied to An Bord Pleanála for permission for the development of apartment blocks ranging from 3 to 13 storeys at 23-28 Prussia Street which will include a pedestrian and cycle access to the TU Campus at Grangegorman. Beside this site at 29b, 30 and 31 Prussia Street, another development entity - Viridis Real Estate Services and Prussia Properties - have applied to build 236 student bedspaces in three blocks ranging from 5 to 7 storeys.

Note: Since early this year the Park Shopping Centre development is being offered for sale as an investment and redevelopment opportunity by agent Cushman & Wakefield at a guide price of €11 million.

HANLON'S CORNER THE WELL KNOWN PUB

15/12/2022

Hanlon's Corner at the junction of the North Circular Road (R101) with Prussia Street and the Old Cabra Road (both R805).

This public house occupies a prominent position at the junctions of the North Circular Road, Prussia Street, Old Cabra Road and Annamoe Road. Its form responds to the siting with the gabled parapet addressing the corner while the south-east and south-west elevations continue the scale and proportions of their adjoining terraces. The shopfront and brickwork retain early features and survive in good condition. The interior has carved timber shelves and ornate mosaic tiled floor typical of a Victorian pub. The North Circular Road was laid out in the 1780s to create convenient approaches to the city. It developed slowly over the following century with the far west and east ends developing last. This junction is popularly known as Hanlon's Corner, due to the prominence of the pub as a landmark.

Several notable junctions in Dublin city in Ireland still carry the name (usually unofficially) of the pub or business which once occupied the corner.

While this practice is not unique to Dublin, the pace of recent development there has meant that the original source of the name is more likely to have disappeared.

Examples include:

Baker's Corner at the junction of Rochestown Avenue and Kill Lane in Deansgrange;

Doyle's Corner at the junction of the North Circular Road (R135 / R147) and Phibsborough Road (R135) in Phibsborough;

Edge's Corner at the junction of the North Strand Road (Annesley Bridge Road) and Fairview Strand;

Hart's Corner at the junction of Botanic Road, Finglas Road, and Prospect Road (all R135) in Glasnevin;

Kelly's Corner at the junction of the R114 road (Upper Camden Street and Richmond Street) and the South Circular Road (Harrington Street and Harcourt Road);

Leonard's Corner at the junction of the South Circular Road and Clanbrassil Street;

Vaughan's Corner at the junction of the N81 road (Terenure Road North and Terenure Place) and the R114 road (Terenure Road East and Rathfarnham Road) in Terenure.

STEEVEN'S LANE 9 DECEMBER 2022

14/12/2022

Steeven's Lane is not very interesting except for the fact that it is used by the Luas Red Line service.

Dr Steevens' Hospital (also called Dr Steevens's Hospital), one of Ireland's most distinguished eighteenth-century medical establishments, was located at Kilmainham in Dublin Ireland. It was founded under the terms of the will of Dr Richard Steevens, an eminent physician in Dublin. The seal of the hospital consisted of 'The Good Samaritan healing the wounds of the fallen traveller' with the motto beneath "Do Thou Likewise". The hospital closed in 1987 and subsequently became the administrative headquarters of the Health Service Executive. Four soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment are buried alongside two Irish Volunteers in the hospital grounds, all casualties of the 1916 Easter Rising.

It is currently the location of the Health Service Executive administrative headquarters.

St Patrick's University Hospital is a teaching hospital at Kilmainham in Dublin. The building, which is bounded by Steeven's Lane to the east, and Bow Lane West to the south, is managed by St Patrick’s Mental Health Services. The hospital was founded with money bequeathed by the author, Jonathan Swift, following his death as "St. Patrick's Hospital for Imbeciles". He was keen that his hospital be situated close to a general hospital because of the links between physical and mental ill-health, so St. Patrick's was built beside Dr Steevens' Hospital. The hospital, which was designed by George Semple, opened in 1747.

ST PATRICK'S CLOSE

13/12/2022

ST PATRICK'S CLOSE [WHAT IS THE POINT OF REPAIRING THE PILLAR ONLY TO HAVE IT DAMAGED AGAIN]

The street in front of Benjamin Lee’s statue at St. Patrick's Cathedral  was for a period called Guinness St, before reverting back to St Patrick’s Close. At the entrance to the Close, from St. Patrick's Street, are two large pillars and for many months the top section of the pillar nearest the Cathedral was missing because of an accident. Not long after restoration work was completed it has been, once again, damaged.

One of the largest conservation restoration projects to be undertaken in state history began in July 2019 with a planned completion date of August 2021 and a cost of €9 million. As the Cathedral is an operational place of worship with over 500,000 tourists and 65,000 religious visitors attending the cathedral each year, Clancy Construction had to progress the project without interruption to the daily operations of the Cathedral.

DON'T USE NASTY TAC TICS

13/12/2022

Message from the artist: "I love to draw. I also love to drink tea and write stories. As a child, instead of going out to play with the other kids, I was indoors, pencil in hand. At 17, I landed my dream job as an animation artist and experienced the joy of working on feature films, TV shows and shorts. "

THE EMPIRE CHINESE RESTAURANT IN RATHMINES

13/12/2022

THE EMPIRE CHINESE RESTAURANT IN RATHMINES [ON A COLD AND FOGGY DAY]

To the best of my knowledge this well known and popular take-away Chinese restaurant is known as the New Empire (rather than the Empire). It features some excellent street art which changes on a regular basis.

THE LIBERTY BELL SCULPTURE BY VIVIENNE ROCHE

12/12/2022

NOT THE FREEDOM BELL AND NOT THE WELL KNOWN PUB [THE LIBERTY BELL SCULPTURE BY VIVIENNE ROCHE]

Vivienne Roche’s Liberty Bell and the Literary Parade were commissioned as part of the celebrations marking the Dublin ‘Millennium’ in 1988.

For a long time I had believed that this sculpture in St. Patrick's park was named after the Liberty Bell which happens to be the iconic symbol of American independence but I was totally wrong. 

It is known as  ‘The Liberty Bell’ because it is located in an area of Dublin of Dublin known as "The Liberties". For those of you who are not interested in visiting public parks or churches there is a nearby pub known as the Liberty Belle. 

One of my followers, I do have a few, contacted me to draw my attention to the fact that the Liberty Bell is often confused with Dublin’s “freedom bell”, the first Catholic Church bell to ring in Dublin in breach of the Penal Laws 200 years ago.

Legend has it that The Liberator Daniel O’Connell rang the bell to celebrate emancipation in 1829, creating the crack in the bell which remains visible today. “This is Dublin’s, and Ireland’s, great freedom bell,” Smock Alley director Patrick Sutton said in an interview with the Irish Times. “In America the Liberty Bell is cased behind eight inches of plate glass, our bell was cased beneath eight inches of pigeon poop.”

The Liberties of Dublin, Ireland were manorial jurisdictions that existed since the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in the 12th century. They were town lands united to the city, but still preserving their own jurisdiction. The most important of these liberties were the Liberty of St. Sepulchre, under the Archbishop of Dublin, and the Liberty of Thomas Court and Donore belonging to the Abbey of St. Thomas (later called the Earl of Meath's Liberty).Today's "Dublin Liberties" generally refer to the inner-city area covered by these two liberties.

Born in Cork in 1953, daughter of an engineer, Vivienne Roche was educated in Miss O'Sullivan's primary and secondary school before studying first at the Crawford School of Art from 1970 to 1974 and then the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston graduating in 1975. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by University College Cork in 2006. 

She began her creative life as an artist but moved into sculptor and is considered one of Ireland's foremost sculptors. Roche was one of the founders of the National Sculpture Factory in Cork and was the chair from 1989 to 1997. She also was on the national Arts Council from 1993 to -1998 as well as on the governing body of Cork Institute of Technology. She is a member of Aosdána and the Royal Hibernian Academy. She is on the board of the Hugh Lane Gallery and the Dublin City Gallery. Roche remains active in creating national cultural policy.

Roche has participated in exhibitions in multiple countries like France, Finland, Sweden, England, and the U.S. Her work has been presented by the President of Ireland to other national heads of state. She lives in County Cork.

TEMPLE BAR AT CHRISTMAS

11/12/2022

TEMPLE BAR AT CHRISTMAS [THE WEATHER WAS NOT AS BAD AS EXPECTED BUT IT WAS REALLY COLD]

A word of warning ... I have noticed that many of the restaurants have increased the prices for the month of December or their special lunch and early-bird menus are not available,

Temple Bar is the main tourist area in Dublin and it attracts many Stag and Hen parties from the UK but today [10 December 2022] the mix of people was a bit different as there were many locals trying to find the perfect Christmas present.

Temple Bar is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey in central Dublin, Ireland. The area is bounded by the Liffey to the north, Dame Street to the south, Westmoreland Street to the east and Fishamble Street to the west. It is promoted as Dublin's 'cultural quarter' and, as a centre of Dublin's city centre's nightlife, is a tourist destination. Temple Bar is in the Dublin 2 postal district.

It is generally thought that the street known as Temple Bar got its name from the Temple family, whose progenitor Sir William Temple built a house and gardens there in the early 1600s. Temple had moved to Ireland in 1599 with the expeditionary force of the Earl of Essex, for whom he served as secretary. (He had previously been secretary of Sir Philip Sydney until the latter was killed in battle.) After Essex was beheaded for treason in 1601, Temple "retired into private life", but he was then solicited to become provost of Trinity College, serving from 1609 until his death in 1627 at age 72. William Temple's son John became the "Master of the Rolls in Ireland" and was the author of a famous pamphlet excoriating the native Irish population for an uprising in 1641. John's son William Temple became a famous English statesman.

The area is the location of a number of cultural institutions, including the Irish Photography Centre (incorporating the Dublin Institute of Photography, the National Photographic Archive and the Gallery of Photography), the Ark Children's Cultural Centre, the Irish Film Institute, incorporating the Irish Film Archive, the Button Factory, the Arthouse Multimedia Centre, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, the Project Arts Centre, the Gaiety School of Acting, IBAT College Dublin, the New Theatre, as well as the Irish Stock Exchange.

At night the area is a centre for nightlife, with various tourist-focused nightclubs, restaurants and bars. Pubs in the area include The Temple Bar pub, The Porterhouse, The Oliver St. John Gogarty, The Turk's Head, The Quays Bar, The Foggy Dew, The Auld Dubliner, The Stag's Head, Bad Bobs and Busker's Bar.

The area has two renovated squares – Meetinghouse Square and the central Temple Bar Square. The Temple Bar Book Market is held on Saturdays and Sundays in Temple Bar Square. Meetinghouse Square, which takes its name from the nearby Quaker Meeting House, is used for outdoor film screenings in the summer months. Since summer 2004, Meetinghouse Square is also home to the 'Speaker's Square' project (an area of public speaking) and to the 'Temple Bar Food Market' on Saturdays.

The 'Cow's Lane Market' is a fashion and design market which takes place on Cow's Lane on Saturdays.

THE NEW CENTRAL PLAZA

10/12/2022

THE NEW CENTRAL PLAZA ON DAME STREET [FEATURING THE MONEY TREE]

I am somewhat disappointed by the fact that the majority of Christmas Trees throughout the city are lacking lights.

The plaza features  the [relocated] sculpture Crann an Oir (tree of gold) by Derry sculptor Éamonn O'Doherty, which became a symbol of the Central Bank, Irish Banking, and the Celtic Tiger boom and bust. The sculpture, also known as the "Golden Ball" but I thought that it was known as the "Money Tree".

The Central Bank's lobby contained Abstract Beaded Pattern, a large artwork by Patrick Scott. It was put into storage prior to the Bank's move from the premises in 2017.

Central Plaza, also known as the Central Bank of Ireland Building for its former tenant, is an office building on Dame Street in Temple Bar, Dublin. It was the headquarters of the Central Bank of Ireland from 1979 to 2017.

It is Ireland's only suspended structure building', with its 8 floors hanging from central concrete cores. Each floor was built on the ground and then raised into place. It was controversial for being out of scale with its surroundings and for being constructed 30 feet (9.1 m) taller than approved.

As of 2022, the building was undergoing renovations including the addition of a rooftop venue and observation deck.

PAINT-A-BOX ON WELLINGTON QUAY

10/12/2022

PAINT-A-BOX STREET ART [WELLINGTON QUAY 10 DECEMBER 2022]

This example of Paint-A-Box street art is located on Wellington Quay and could be described to be in Temple Bar. It is at the entrance to The Eliza Lodge. Since 2013 the artwork has changed a few times and I have photographed and published all versions.

Wellington was the last of the city quays to be developed and it replaced a number of houses at the edge of the Liffey. 

WOLFE TONE STREET AND PUBLIC PARK

10/12/2022

WOLFE TONE STREET AND WOLFE TONE PARK [I USED A CANON 5D MkIII]

Wolfe Tone Park, also known as Wolfe Tone Square, is a public space in Dublin. It is bounded by Mary Street to the north, Jervis Street to the east, and Wolfe Tone Street to the west.

The park is the site of a graveyard that was attached to St. Mary's Church, and is named for Theobald Wolfe Tone (1763–1798), who was baptised in the church. The graveyard was deconsecrated in 1966 and laid out as a green park. From 1998 to 2001, Dublin City Council redeveloped the park as an "urban plaza". The park was closed for further regeneration works in late 2020, and reopened in mid-2022.

The site, formerly the graveyard of St Mary's Church, was the burial place of the United Irishman Archibald Hamilton Rowan (1751–1834), Mary Mercer, founder of Mercer's Hospital (died 1734), the philosopher Francis Hutcheson (1694–1746), Sir Boyle Roche, 1st Baronet (1736–1807), an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons, and Lord Norbury (1745–1831; known colloquially as the hanging judge).

From the 1960s to the 1990s, the site operated as a green space, maintained by Dublin City Council. In 1998, the council held a competition to redesign the park, which was won by Peter Cody of Boyd Cody Architects. The updated layout, in the form of an "urban plaza", was completed in 2001. After the square's layout was changed, it was made available by Dublin City Council for events, including the Dublin Fringe Festival.

Following a campaign from local residents to restore Wolfe Tone Park as a non-commercial green space, there was debate in the council as to the future use of the park as of 2015. Ultimately the park was closed between 2020 and 2022, and Dublin City Council redeveloped and restored it to a green space.

I am not sure if I would consider it to be a green space but it is much better than it was and to date anti-social activity has reduced.

IRISH BIRDS

10/12/2022

BIRDS OF IRELAND [A SERIES OF TILES ON WOLFE TONE STREET]

These have been here on Wolfe Tone Street for a few years but while I have always intended to photograph them I did not manage to do so until today.

These tiles are located within what might be described as a mini public space associated with an apartment complex on Wolfe Tone Street near the corner with Parnell Street, opposite the Virgin Cinema complex. It occupies a piece of land bounded by Jervis Street, Parnell Street, and Wolfe Tone Street that until recently consisted of two large carparks and a number of derelict buildings.

Ireland has a relatively low diversity of breeding birds due to its isolation. Several species such as the tawny owl, Eurasian nuthatch and willow tit which breed in Great Britain have not been recorded. However, there are large colonies of seabirds including important populations of European storm-petrels, northern gannets, and roseate terns. Other notable breeding birds include corn crakes and red-billed choughs. There are no endemic species but there are endemic subspecies of white-throated dipper, coal tit, and Eurasian jay.

Large numbers of wildfowl and waders winter in Ireland, attracted by its mild climate. About half the world population of the Greenland race of greater white-fronted geese spend the winter there. During autumn, many migrating seabirds can be seen off the coasts including several species of skuas, shearwaters, and petrels. Ireland's westerly position means that North American birds are regularly recorded in autumn.

ROAD AND FOOTPATHS WERE SLIPPY BECAUSE OF ICE

09/12/2022

FRANCIS STREET IS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS [ROAD AND FOOTPATHS WERE SLIPPY BECAUSE OF ICE]

I know that I and others  have complained about how long it has taken to complete the work on Francis Street but until today I had been unaware that Francis Street has been preserved as a residential area, despite a 1968 traffic study recommending that it be levelled to make way for a route to Drogheda port. 

According to the local weather forecast: We're really at the start of potentially a long cold spell because really this cold weather is set to last all the way through next week. Met Éireann expects sharp frost and icy stretches to set in tonight as temperatures dip to -4C in places.

A Status Yellow freezing fog warning applies for all counties in the Republic of Ireland until midday tomorrow, causing potentially hazardous driving conditions.

JESUS THE HOMELESS

09/12/2022

JESUS THE HOMELESS ON A REALLY COLD DAY IN DECEMBER [CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL DUBLIN]

Homeless Jesus, also known as Jesus the Homeless, is a bronze sculpture by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz depicting Jesus as a homeless person, sleeping on a park bench. The original sculpture was installed at Regis College, University of Toronto, in early 2013. Other casts have since been installed at many places across the world.

In recent weeks Peter McVerry Trust has mobilised 35 Cold Weather Beds across Dublin in partnership with @HomelessDublin

GIRL ON A SWING

08/12/2022

Yesterday I discovered an old SD card in my Sony NEX-7 camera and it contained many photographs from the 2013 Halloween weekend.

This is long gone as the wall was part of a building site on Hanover Quay and a few years after I captured this image all structures on the site were demolished.

BOATS IN DISTRESS AT CHARLOTTE QUAY

08/12/2022

BOATS IN DISTRESS AT CHARLOTTE QUAY GRAND CANAL DOCK [PHOTOGRAPHED HALLOWEEN WEEKEND 2013]

Yesterday I discovered an old SD card in my Sony NEX-7 camera and it contained many photographs from the 2013 Halloween weekend.

Tuesday 17 December 2014  Waterways Ireland removed many derelict and abandoned boats from Charlotte Quay in the Grand Canal Dock at Ringsend. However, when I visited in January 2015 there was at least one which appeared to be derelict or abandoned. In April 2015 I revisited the area and there were no derelict or abandoned boats to be seen.

Charlotte Quay was named for Princess Charlotte, daughter of the Prince Regent, who married Leopold, King of the Belgians but died in childbirth in 1817. She was named for her grandmother, Charlotte of Mecklenburg, wife of George III.